Surveyor's Field Notebooks collection: Finding Aid
mssSurveyor
Gayle Richardson
The Huntington Library
December 2020
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Surveyor's Field Notebooks collection
Creator:
Olmsted, Frank Henry, 1858-1939
Identifier/Call Number: mssSurveyor
Physical Description:
2.9 Linear Feet
(7 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1892-1924
Abstract: A collection of surveyor's notebooks
created by American civil engineer Frank Henry Olmsted, who was Los Angeles city engineer
from 1898 to 1900.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item]. Surveyor's field notebooks collection, The Huntington Library,
San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
N. Kovach donated one volume ("San Antonio Protection District") as a gift in 1944; the
remainder of the collection was purchased from N. Kovach in November 1945.
Biographical / Historical
Frank Henry Olmsted (1858-1939) was born in Ripon, Wisconsin. He attended Northwestern
University in Illinois, where he received his education and training in civil engineering.
In 1877, he moved to southern California and eventually served as a member of the
construction-engineering firm, Olmsted and Gillelen, in Los Angeles. He was elected Los
Angeles city engineer in 1898 and held office until 1900. Olmsted held numerous appointments
during his long career in the engineering field. He was a chief draftsman for the Chicago
Sanitary District, assistant hydrographer for the U.S. Geological Survey, and engineer for
the United Sugar Companies of Los Moches in Sinaloa, Mexico. Olmsted was also a member of
the United States Army engineers and provided flood control work for the Mississippi River
in Louisiana. His projects included the Santa Fe, Santa Ana, and Newport railroads in
California, the Coeur d'Alene Railroad in Idaho, and the Mexican Central Railway. Olmsted's
civic activities included participation in the American Board of Foreign Missions in central
and northern Mexico, the American Society of Civil Engineers in New York, and the student
chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers of the California Institute of Technology
in Pasadena, California. Olmsted resided in Glendale, California and was active in civic
affairs until his death in January 1939.
Scope and Contents
The 53 notebooks in this collection include notes, charts, calculations, measurements,
drawings, and other observations recorded by Los Angeles city engineer, Frank Henry Olmsted,
and other surveyors affiliated with the civil engineering firm Olmsted and Gillelen. The
surveys include sewers, reservoirs, ditches, dams, and other water supply and sanitation
structures that were located primarily in Los Angeles County; Riverside, San Bernardino, San
Diego and Ventura counties are also represented, as well as various regions in northern
California and Arizona. The notebooks provide details relating to the design and
construction of municipal water systems, and data concerning water distribution and
consumption levels throughout southern California and Arizona during the early twentieth
century. The notebooks are arranged in alphabetical order; titles are taken from the spines
and front covers of the notebooks; many of the notebooks are undated. The majority of
notebooks are in fragile condition and several contain loose items laid into the
notebooks.
Processing Information
Processed by Margaret Phung in February 2014. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the encoded
finding aid.
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
General
Former call number: mssSurveyor notebook collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Civil engineering -- California
Engineers -- California
Flood control -- Arizona
Flood control -- California
Flood dams and reservoirs -- Arizona
Flood dams and reservoirs --
California
Municipal engineering -- California
Reservoirs -- Arizona
Reservoirs -- California
Storm sewers -- Arizona
Storm sewers -- California
Surveyors -- California
Water-supply engineering
Field notes
Notebooks
Box 1, Volume 1-8
Banning-Clifton
1897-1920
Box 2, Volume 1-8
Douglas-General
1896-1924
Box 4, Volume 1-8
La Brea-Monterey
1916-1919
Box 6, Volume 1-7
Oxnard-Rio Hondo
1906-1920
Box 7, Volume 1-8
San Antonio-Upland
1892-1917
